Musical instrument.



No. 659,014. Patented Oct. 2, 1900.. C. E. BROWN.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application fi led May 31, 1900.)

(No Model.)

15 1 J1 8 g 5% J 1* R .58. v i 1 (9 WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNEY n45 Ncmms PETERS co. Mmouma, WASHVNGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES CARL E. BROWN, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

ooLUMBUs', OHIO, ASSIGNOR To run HARP-O-CI-IORD COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 659,014, dated October 2, 1900.

Application tiled M y 31, 1900. semi No. 18,543. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL E. BROWN, acitie zen of the United States, residing at Colunn bus, in the county of Franklin and State of 5 Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Musical Instruments, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to the improvement of stringed instruments, and has particular relation to that class of musical instruments ordinarily known as citherns.

The objects of myinvention are to provide an improved instrument of this class of superior construction and arrangement of parts;

[ to so construct the same as to admit of the employment of a comparatively-largenumber of strings in conjunction with acompara- Lively-small instrument-frame; to so construct the instrument body or frame and to so arrange the strings in connection therewith as to facilitate the picking or playing of the chord strings with the fingers of one hand, while the treble strings are picked or manipulated by the other hand; to so construct my improved instrument as to admit oi the same being played while carried in the han(l,and to produce other improvements, the details of construction of which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation of my improved instrument, showing for the sake of clearness in illustration the left hand of the operator in position for picking the chord strings. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of a portion of the base-bridge, showing a slightlymodified construction of the same.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention I form the body 1 of the instrument of the substantially harp shape shown. That portion of the body 1 which is shown on the right and which is indicated at 2 is of the usual hollow or boxlike form, said right portion having its upper portion provided with a lateral upwardlyarched arm 3, which at its outer and lower end is united with an extension or foot #1 of the base of the body through the medium of a suitable form of preferably-rounded spindle or hand-post 5. As indicated in the drawings, the inclined right portion 2 of the harp-body in conjunction with the arched arm 3 and hand-spindle 5 results in the for mationof an opening 6, which decreases in width from its upper to its lower end. Secured to and extending across the upper part of the portion 2 is a bridge 7, and horizontally arranged on the corresponding face of the arched arm 3 is a chord-bridge S. Secured to the corresponding face of the bottom or base of the portion 2, parallel with the bridge 8, is a bridge 9, the latter having its upper side cut. away to form an upwardly-extending bridge-base shoulder or flange 10. 11 represents a fret, which is arranged longi tudinally in the angle formed by the junction of the bridge-shoulder 10 and body of the bridge 9, and 12 and 13 represent, respectively, frets extending over the outer and under side of the bridge 9. The bridges 7 and 8 are also provided on their outer sides with frets 7 and 8. Above the bridge 7 I provide the body with the desired number of outwardly projecting tuning pins 14, on which are adapted to be wound to the desired tension the upper portions of the treble wires or melody strings 15, the lower portions of the latter extending over the outer and lower side frets 1'2 and 13 of the bridge 9 and being secured to fixed string-pins 16 on the under side of the instrumentbody. Above the bridge 8 I provide the bodyarm 3 with outwardly-projecting tuning-pins 17, with which are connected and on which are adapted to be wound the down wardly-extending parallel chord wires or strings 18. The wires or strings 18, passing over the fret 8 extend downward, passing Over the fret 11 through openings in the inner portion of the bridge 9, thence over the fret 13, and have their ends secured tostring-pins 19, which project from the lower end of the instrumentbody. It will thus be Observed that the chord wires or strings 18 have their lower portions extending beneath the treble or melody strings 15. It will also be seen that while the lower portions of the wires 18 thus cross the wires 15 obliquely the upper portions of said wires l8 bridge the opening 6 and run parallel with the hand-post or spindle 5.

Although the strings or wires 18 are indicated in Fig. 1 as passing through penings in the bridge 9, I have shown these chordwires in Fig.3of thedrawings passing through the lower or inner portions of vertical slots 9, formed in the outer portion of the bridge 9. It is also evident that these slotted openiugs might be formed from the under or inner side of said bridge, if desired.

'lheinstrument herein shown and described is designed to be supported principally by the lel't hand while the same is being played, although the base of said instrument-body, however, may be supported against the body of the player or otherwise, as desired. It will readily be seen that the melody strings or Wires 15 may be played or picked by a suitable pick in the right hand of the player and that the chord strings or wires 18 may be played by grasping the upper portion of the spindle or hand-post 5 in the left hand and extending the index or other finger of said left hand within the opening 6 and on the under or inner sides of the chordstrings. By this construction and operation it Will readily be seen that while a desirable number of chord and melody strings are employed the same are so compactly and convenien tly arranged as to admit of the employmentof acom mratively small and light form of instruinent-body.

Although the chord strings are shown herein as extending beneath or on the inner sides of the treble strings, it is obvious that this arrai'igemei'it might be reversed, running said treble strings under the chord strings without altering my invention. By the construction described it will be observed that a comparatively-small, although neat and convenient, form of musical instrumentis prod need, which may be played while being carried in the hands of the player, or it may be played while lying upon a table, as ordinarily upon a cithern.

Having now fully described myinvention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A musical instrument having a set of treble or melody strings and a set of chord strings and an opening in the body of said instrument by means of which-one of said string sets may be picked from the underside, substantially as specified.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination with a body having an opening 6 therein, of sets of treble or melody and chord strings, one set running over the closed portion of said body and the other set over the opening thereof, substantially as specified.

In a musical instrument, the combination with a su'bst.-tntially harp-shaped body having an opening ('3 adjacent to one side thereof, of sets ol treble or melody and chord strings running respectively over the closed and open portion of said body and crossing each other obliquely, substantially as specified.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination with a body I having open and closed portions, bridges '8 and 7 arranged respectively above said open and closed portions and a bridge adjacent to the lower end oli' said body, of sets of treble or melody and chord strings one set running over the bridge 7 and the remaining set over the bridge 8 and one set running over the bridge 9 and the other through the latter, substantially as specified.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination with a body having an opening adjacent to one side thereof, a hand-post or spindle connecting the upper and lower portions of said body on the outer side of said opening, upper bridges '7 and 8 arranged respectively over the open and closed portionsof said body and a lower bridge 9, of sets of treble or melody and chord strings, one of said sets running over the closed portion of the body and the remaining set over the opening thereof, and. one of said sets running over the'lower bridge and the other through the same, substantially as specified.

CARL E. BROWN.

In presence of O. C. SHEPHERD, R. G. HESSONG. 

